June Newsletter 2025
Fivesignsitcouldbetime toincreaserentalrates
Tenantsunderstandthatjustlikeotherexpenses,rentis likelytoriseovertime.Anincreasemaypromptsome renterstoleave,butmanywillstayifthey’rehappywith thepropertyandthenewrateisreasonableIfithas beenawhilesinceyouadjustedwhatyourinvestment propertyisearning,haveachatwithyourLJHooker propertymanagerTheywillbeabletoprovideinsight intohowyourlocalrentalmarketisperforming.Hereare fiveothersigns:
1.Similarpropertiesareearninghigherrent
Ifcomparablehomesinyourareaarerentingformore, thenitmaybetimetoraiseyourratesYoucanalsorely onyourpropertymanagerforguidanceonmakingsuch adecisionIfvacancylevelsarehigh,itmaybebestto holdoffonanyadjustmentsforthetimebeing.
2.Yourcostshaveincreased
TheRBAhasjusthandeddownanotherratecut,which isgreatnewsformortgage-holdersandinvestors
However,risingstratalevies,insurance,andcouncil ratesmaymeanthatincreasingtherentisstillneeded tomaintainyouryieldRememberthatmanytenantsare alsodoingittough,soanyincreaseneedstomeet marketdemand
3.Youareontopofmaintenance
Keepingtenantssatisfiedcanmakethemmoreopento futurerentincreasesDon’tletyourpropertyfallinto
disrepairKeepopencommunicationthroughyour propertymanageranddealwithanycomplaintsor issuesswiftly
4.You’vemadeupdates
Itcanbeafinebalancebetweenhomeimprovements thatwillattractahigherrentalyieldandovercapitalisingonyourinvestmentHeatedflooringor top-of-the-rangekitchenappliancesmaybe appreciatedbytenants,buttheyareunlikelytowantto payforsuchfeaturesLookformoreaffordablewaysto refreshtiredinteriors,suchaspaintingwallsoradding newflooringSimpleupdatesthataremorelikelyto boostrentalincomeincludeinstallingbuilt-in wardrobes,air-conditioning,energy-efficient appliances,oraddingsecuritydoors
5.Youarecomplyingwiththelaw
Itisimportanttoknowtherulesaboutincreasingrents, asthesecandifferdependingonwhereyour investmentpropertyislocated.Inmoststates, landlordsoragentsmustgiveatleast60dayswritten noticebeforearentincreasetakeseffectItcanusually beprovidedviaemail,awrittenletterorusingan officialrentincreasenoticeformIntheNT,just30 daysareneededInNSW,rentcannotberaisedwithin thefirst12monthsofatenancyTalktoyourproperty managertoensureyouarestayingwithinregulations
Importanceoflandlord legislationcompliance
It’sthelessexcitingsideofpropertyinvesting,but stayingontopofcomplianceisamustforlandlords.It notonlyhelpstoavoidunnecessarycostsbutalso stopsminorissuesfromescalatingintomajorlegal issues
LJHookerPMStateManagerNSW,TJHollebone,said itisimportantforpropertyinvestorstotakethetime tounderstandtheirresponsibilitiesFailuretocomply withrequirementssuchassafetystandardsorlease agreementscanresultincostlyfinesorcompensation claims
“Compliancehasamuchbroaderapplicationthanjust meetinglegalrequirements–itisacommitmentto ensureapropertyissafe,well-maintained,andthat everyonewillbelookedafterproperly,”MsHollebone said
“Itcoversmanyaspectsfromminimalstandardsto tenants’rights,soitiscrucialtoknowwhatis expected
“Propertymanagerscanhelpwhenitcomesto compliance,butthingsrunmoresmoothlywhen everyoneisinformedandalignedwithlegislation. Beinganethicallandlordbuildstrustandattracts qualitytenants,improvingoccupancyrates,soitalso haslong-termbenefits”
VisitingGovernmentwebsitesisagoodplacetostart tofindoutmoreaboutwhatisinvolvedwhenowning aninvestmentpropertyLandlordsshouldbefamiliar withregulationsinthestatewherethepropertyis located,whichmaybedifferentfromwherethey reside
“Alotofcomplianceisstraightforward,suchas makingsurethepremisesarestructurallysound,clean andsuitablefortenants,”MsHollebonesaid
“Buttherearealsoregulationspeoplemaynotbe familiarwith,suchashavingadequatelighting, ventilation,plumbingandwaterconnection
Propertiesmusthavesmokealarmsincertain locations,poolsneedtobefencedproperly,gasand electricitychecksneedtobeundertaken,andlocks mustbeinworkingorder”
Importantlylandlordsmustprovideawrittentenancy outliningtherightsanddutiesofbothpartiesWith thisunderstandinginplace,long-termrelationships
Needextraspace?
Asalandlord,youcaneasilypreparefornewtenantsor manageexcessitemswithTAXIBOX Throughour partnerprogram,you’llhaveaccesstoasimple,stressfreestorageandmovingsolutiondelivereddirectlyto yourproperty Whetheryou’restoringfurniture, declutteringforrenovations,orin-betweentenants, TAXIBOXremovesthehassle noremovalists,trucks, ortripstostoragefacilitiesrequired
canbefosteredanddisputesreduced, MsHollebone states
Therearealsocompliancelawsaroundbondhandling andevictionprocedures, providingbestpracticesfor dealingwithwhatcanpotentially becomevolatile situations
Findingagoodaccountantwhospecialisesin property investingcanalsohelplandlordsstay compliantwhenitcomestotaxationandfinancial reportingrequirements They canalsoassistwith claimingdeductions, structuringportfolios, and capitalgainsplanning.
“Don’tneglectpaperwork, makesure your investmentissetupcorrectly fromthestart, ” Ms Hollebonesaid
“Teamingupwiththerightpeopleanddoing your ownresearchwillultimately save youtime, money andstress ”
Disclaimer Thisnewsletterdoesnotnecessarilyreflecttheopinionofthepublisher Itisintendedtoprovidegeneralnewsandinformationonly
Whileeverycarehasbeentakentoensure theaccuracyoftheinformationitcontains,neitherthepublishers,authorsnortheiremployees,canbeheldliableforinaccuracies,errorsoromission
Copyrightisreservedthroughout Nopartofthispublicationcanbereproducedorreprintedwithouttheexpresspermissionofthepublisher Allinformationiscurrentasatpublicationreleaseandthepublisherstakeno responsibilityforanyfactorsthatmaychangethereafter Readersareadvisedtocontacttheirfinancialadviser brokeroraccountantbeforemakinganyinvestmentdecisionsandshould notrelyonthisnewsletterasasubstituteforprofessionaladvice ©LJHookerCorporationLimited
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